County's Gun Buy-back Program Does Such Good Business That Funds Run Out

September 27, 1999|By Margaret O'Brien, Tribune Staff Writer.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department collected 5,347 guns during its three-weekend buy-back program that ended Sunday, making it the largest single gun turn-in nationwide, according to Sheriff Michael Sheahan.

"Obviously, we're very surprised. We were expecting to get about 400 to 500 guns," Sheahan said Sunday, adding that he hopes to run the program again if federal money becomes available under the national gun buy-back proposal President Clinton announced in early September.

Paying $50 to $75 a gun, the Sheriff's Department put out $209,500 in cash and $64,370 in gift certificates to purchase a wide variety of guns from county residents. The department originally budgeted $80,000 from federal grants and corporate donations but received additional funding from the Cook County Board and community development block grant money as turn-ins exceeded expectations.

In some instances, the department had to hand out vouchers when cash ran out at collection points. All vouchers should be paid off within a couple of weeks, a department spokesperson said.

Cheryl Hill of Wilmette said she received a voucher after waiting for two hours at the Park Ridge site to turn in a hunting rifle that had been sitting in her attic. Her husband received it as a gift and never used it.

"I was thinking of getting rid of (the rifle) anyway, so when this program came up, it was like a tap on the shoulder to go do it," she said, adding that she was concerned her children, ages 3 and 8, would soon be old enough to get their hands on the gun.

Hill noted that the wait to turn in the gun was frustrating, but she nevertheless said the program was a good idea.

Sheahan on Sunday displayed all the guns the department collected during the six buy-back days. They ranged from a one-shot, James Bondish pen gun to an AK-47 assault rifle and an Uzi submachine gun. Sheahan said 70 percent of the guns collected were small caliber handguns.

On Sunday, boxes of handguns covered the floor and hundreds of rifles lined the walls of the large indoor shooting range at the Sheriff Department's headquarters in Maywood.

The guns will be checked against national crime databases, and some will undergo ballistics tests to see if they have been involved in the commission of a crime. Once cleared, most will be destroyed, Sheahan said. Others that were turned in, such as a Civil War-era rifle or a $5,000 collectible German Luger handgun, will be offered to museums, he said. The department may also keep some weapons to train officers.

"This program is proof that ordinary citizens are aware of gun violence and are ready to do their part," Sheahan said. "I have no doubt that what we've done here is prevent some children from getting killed by getting these guns out of the house."

Guns were dropped off at eight locations around the county, where no questions were asked. Officers also went out to 400 homes to pick up guns.

Sheahan said the largest gun buy-back before Cook County's was in Washington, D.C., where police collected 3,000 guns last month at $100 each.